Sports deep dive
The Greatest Games
The best game each sport has produced, one board per sport, ranked by Game Score.
Ten sports, one board each · MetroAreas workbook and club, cricket and rugby models
- 10Sports coveredOne board each, nine ranked by Game Score.
- 1860sEarliest decadeThe oldest decade with a game on any board.
- 261,300Club matches scoredEvery one carries a Game Score.
- 30Video clips linkedHighlights and full games, across all ten sports.
Signature games
The top of each sport's Game Score board. Hockey has no scored ranking, so it shows a featured clip.
How Game Score works
Within each league, every postseason game earns a Game Score that blends how much was at stake (round and seeding), how good the two teams were (rating), and how close and consequential the game itself turned out to be. The result is a single number that lets a first-round upset and a Game 7 classic sit on the same ladder. The catch is that those numbers are calibrated per sport, so a 3.6 in baseball is not the same currency as a 3.6 in basketball. Hockey is a different case again: the data here is the roll of Stanley Cup presentation games rather than a scored ranking. A normalized board that ranks across sports is a future build, not a claim this page makes. Methodology.
Club#1 by Game ScoreLiverpool 3-3 AC Milan (pens)25 May 2005 · Champions League, FinalFull Club board → International#1 by Game ScoreGermany 3-2 Hungary4 Jul 1954 · World Cup, FinalFull International board → NFL#1 by Game ScoreBroncos 31-24 Packers25 Jan 1998 · Super BowlFull NFL board → NBA#1 by Game ScoreCavaliers 93-89 Warriors19 Jun 2016 · NBA Finals, Game 7Full NBA board → MLB#1 by Game ScoreCubs 8-7 Indians (extra innings)2 Nov 2016 · World Series, Game 7Full MLB board → NHLFeatured30 years of Cup celebrations1994-2024Every Stanley Cup presentation across three decades.Full NHL board → CFB#1 by Game ScoreTexas 41-38 USC4 Jan 2006 · Rose BowlFull CFB board → CBB#1 by Game ScoreDuke 104-103 Kentucky (OT)28 Mar 1992 · NCAA tournament, Regional FinalsFull CBB board → Cricket#1 by Game ScoreNew Zealand v England14 Jul 2019 · ODI, FinalMatch tied (England won on boundary count)Full Cricket board → Rugby#1 by Game ScoreSouth Africa 15-12 New Zealand24 Jun 1995 · 1995 Rugby World Cup, FinalFull Rugby board →
Where these numbers come from
Game Score and game data are maintained per league in the MetroAreas workbook and emitted to each sport's data files at build time. Club football, cricket and rugby union are scored from their own team-strength ratings.
Scores are calibrated per sport, so a 3.6 in baseball is not a 3.6 in basketball, and a cross-sport scale is a future build. Hockey lists Stanley Cup presentation games rather than a scored ranking.